Hardware City Journal - Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 16, 2012

8/2/2019 Hardware City Journal - Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 16, 2012

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New Britains FREE weekly newspaper

New Britain Mayor Timothy E. OBrienState Of The City Address 2012

Pursuant to Chapter V Sec. 3 () o the NewBritain City Charter, I hereby respectullysubmit my written address on the state andcondition o the City o New Britain:

President rueworthy, members o theCommon Council, and most importantlyresidents o New Britain: On November 15th,I had the privilege o beginning my serviceto the great people o this city.

I am most honored and humbled by it.I want to thank my amily, riends, ellowresidents or their love and support.

During the rst 100 + days o this term,my administration has been primarily ocused

on three main challenges acing our city:1. Economic Development & Job Creation2. Getting New Britains Finances in Order3. Neighborhood Quality o Lie Issues

I am happy to report, that in this relativelysmall period o time, we have made noticeableprogress in all three areas.

In order to see meaningul and continued

progress, we must change the ways things havetraditionally been done. We must work col-lectively. Much o the work wont be easy butcollectively, and or our uture, we can make

the right choices to benet all o New Britain.But rst, let me please reer back to my in-

augural address this past November. I pledgedto conduct the business o the city in a moreopen and transparent manner, and to takeimmediate action when needed, to move NewBritain orward.

I promised to be open and honest withthe public about the condition o the city, asour citizens expect and deserve nothing less.

In less than one week rom taking the oathor the current term I received a report romthe Citys Finance Department showing thecitys nances were considerably worse than hadbeen previously disclosed to the public and theCommon Council. We were acing the largestdecit the City o New Britain had ever seen.

New BritainsEducational

Talent SearchCentral Connecticut State University isconducting an ongoing talent search where

everyone involved is a winner. Te CCSUEducational alent Search (ES) is an earlyintervention program which oers middleand high school students support and guid-ance to urther their education. Approxi-mately ve hundred students rom Pulaski,Slade, Diloreto Magnet, HALS Academyand New Britain High are involved in theprogram which identies and assists thoseindividuals traditionally under-represented

in higher education. Te ultimate goal isto get students rom disadvantaged back-grounds to complete high school and thenpost-secondary education.

o date there are more than 321,000 studentsin over 450 Educational alent Search pro-

Vol. 3, No. 3Friday, March 16, 2012

Cnn n pg 14Cnn n pg 10

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2/16

Hardware City Journal2 Friday, March 16, 2012

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Last week I attended the uneral o a lielong

riend. Jim was born and raised in New Britainbut lived as an adult in Wolcott. Wheneverwe got together we would talk about the goodold days in New Britain such as going to theEmbassy theater to see Spartacus, late nightgourmet dining at Mikes asty Grinder andhaving cars actually stop to let you cross thestreet.

How things have changed, he would oen

comment. Riding or the last time through thestreets o New Britain he really would be ap-palled at lack o respect his uneral processionreceived. It was a moderately long processionwhich le Sacred Heart Church on BroadSt. and headed to the cemetery. At least ourcars cut across, sped around or honked theirhorn. Tese people showed the patience osomeone who shouldnt be allowed in publiclet alone be allowed behind the wheel o an

automobile. Where in the world could thesepeople possibly be in such a hurry to go. I donot believe getting to work on time was parto the equation because what I could see mostwere not dressed business casual or even in auniorm. It was also close to 11a.m. At leasttwo o them had in their back seat the ocialmascot o New Britain, a pit bull. Te last Ichecked most employers are not ond o dogsin the workplace.

Im sorry your last ride through the Hard-ware City you had to listen to clowns blastingenough bass to cause a minor earthquake.Hopeully by the time they take the same ridethey will have gained at least a little respect.

Richard Coop, New Britain

o the Editor and Citizens o New Britain:

Websters dictionary shows, in part, the de-nition o litter as an untidy accumulation oobjects lying about: rubbish. It denes blight,in part, as something that rustrates onesplans or withers ones hopes...something thatimpairs or destroys.

Its our responsibility to keep our sidewalksand yards clean and ree o litter. People throw

trash rom their car windows while drivingor while walking in town - most likely not inneighborhoods where they live. When Imdriving in New Britain I notice used ood con-tainers, plastic bags, cigarette packs, bottlesand cans, lying in the streets and in yards.Some o this junk remains there or months!

It takes no eort to simply place litter in ourown trash barrels provided by the city. ake

it home and throw it away, dont just throwit in our streets! Littering and blight denotelaziness, lack o sel respect, and lack o re-spect or others.

ake pride in New Britain! Wherever youlive, take pride in your neighborhood, youryard, and take pride in yoursel. Please dontlitter!

Ann Salmonson Korab, New Britain n

Please send us your letters to the editor about any topic you

choose. Include your full name, address, and phone number.We will do our best to publish as many as possible. Email

letters to [email protected]

Back IssuesIf you would like to receive a previously printed issue of the

Hardware City Journal, mail $1 and a self addressed stamped

9x12 envelope to: 202 Broad St., New Britain, CT 06053.

Limit: one issue per envelope. Proper postage please.

Deadline or Classifeds, Advertising, and Letters to theEditor is Tuesday 12:00 p.m.

2012 Hardware City Journal

Mail: 202 Broad St.New Britain, CT 06053

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 860 637-6806

Contents

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 2

EDITORIAL 3

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT 4

FINANCE 5

FUN AND GAMES 6

HUMOR 12

HARWARE CITY LAW 13

HOROSCOPES BY OZZY 14

FUNERAL PLANNING 14

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Hardware City Journal Friday, March 16, 2012 3

EDITORIAL

Restructuring debt to a positive advantage,whether on a personal, business or govern-mental level makes perectly good sense. Teounding athers o this great nation wereextremely mindul o debt issues and pro-

jected debt load. In a perect world, "pay asyou go" would be the dynamic. Unortunately

such an option is not tenable. Tis being thecase it becomes necessary to borrow capitalin order to eect a positive uture outcomeor the greater good.

Governments will oen borrow in the ormo bond oerings which result in long termdebt obligations. Te "easy payment plan" isnice but it is still an obligation and a burdento taxpayers now and in the uture.

In conjunction with prudent debt manage-ment there should be an aggressive agenda oexpanding the revenue base o New Britain.Tis would certainly mitigate the need toengage in the acquisition o debt as well aslessen the tax burden on individual house-holds. Expansion o New Britain's revenuebase should be accomplished through theexpansion o commerce and industry.

Mayor imothy O'Brien has articulated theseissues in the State o the City address lastWednesday. He also stated a willingness towork with everyone in the city in attainingthese goals. Let's hope Mayor O'Brien andhis administration receive the universal co-operation rom all concerned parties, whichthe residents o New Britain deserve andshould demand.n

Line Forms HereIn the pre-digital days o yesteryear, citizenswere encumbered with the onerous task oqueuing in long, seemingly interminable linesto perorm such basic unctions as renewinga car registration, ling or unemployment,securing permits, paying ees and nes ormaking general inquiries o the bureaucracy.Tis corralling o people also occurred atbanks and other places o business whereinquiries or services to the general public

were accommodated. In all these instances,there was a coming together o people romacross social, intellectual, economic, racialand ethnic spectrums to perorm duties andobligations imposed on them by a govern-mental or institutional authority.

While many decried this herding o the mass-es as de-humanizing or dispiriting; causing acitizen to de-emphasize their own wants and

desires in order to enorce social cohesion,the act was that in order to get certain thingsdone, one had to wait in a line, take a number,schedule an appointment or otherwise seekredress or service in a manner that causedone to wade into the great proletariat swarm.Intellectually, this aversion to the conor-mity demanded by bureaucracy laid mucho the groundwork or the youth counter-culture movement o the 1960s, where the

expression o the sel suddenly seemed moreimportant than the constancy and order othe establishment. Tis ethos to do yourown thing has now been coupled with theenabling technologies o our digital age totransorm our public behavior, and redenethe very notion o public spaces as they relateto social relations.

While perhaps stiing to the creative mind

and no doubt, worse still or the eet o our

predecessors o the recent past--the comingtogether o peoples o various backgroundsand cultures in common public purposehelped to strengthen the democratic spirito this nation. Te energy and vitality withinour public spaces was the by-product o theco-mingling o individuals, with their certainhabits o mind, tastes o culture and practiceso custom. Tis co-mingling can be thoughto as an advance practice laboratory or de-

mocracy-- where individuals can build socialcapital, learn to trust and share values, andgain a greater insight into the interconnect-edness o society. Cooling ones heels whilewaiting in line can do wonders to temper anelevated sense o sel-importance or personalentitlement. Te common experience, nomatter how mundane is an exercise in orbear-ance; a chance to learn humility and respector otherskey building blocks o a thriving

civil society.

Perhaps our barren downtowns are a meta-phor or the de-emphasis placed on public ci-

vility and public decorum in general, as moreand more o our necessities and unctions odaily lives are conducted solely through ourown personal portholes, our personal brando electronic device. Having no need to wadeinto the public scrum we have abandoned

these spaces to those that live either by choiceor circumstances on the ringes o society.As a society, we have traded the vitality and

vibrancy o true public placesthat is pre-cise geographic locations, accessible to all,with amenities or all to benet romor theconvenience o personal choice. Having noneed to be in a precise geographic location inorder to do our banking, renew a car registra-tion or even shop or personal necessities or

luxuries, we choose to isolate ourselves ur-ther and urtherbehind the pri-

vacy that digitalconvenience o-ers; segregatingour already rac-tured society intothe technologicalhaves and have

nots.n


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FINANCE

New Britain Credit Rating: Facts and FictionBy Nicholas Gwiazda

It would appear that our local economy has gotten a boost romMoodys, the major credit ratings agency. In Moodys latest reportpublished March 8th, 2012, Moodys upgraded New Britains bondcondence rating to an A1 rom A3, with a negative outlook. Tisrepresents a vote o condence in New Britains ability to pay back its

$196.7 million in General Obligation debt.

Cities und projects through bond issuances. Te city borrows moneywith the promise to pay it back at a later date with interest. When acitys credit rating is upgraded, it means that there is less probability othe city deaulting on its debt. Te higher the credit rating, the lowerthe risk o deault. A lower risk o deault means the city pays backless interest to bond holders.

Tis credit upgrade essentially means that there is more condence

behind New Britains ability to pay back its debt. It is also convenienttiming or New Britains March 15th debt sale that will be used to undschool and inrastructure improvements. Te debt sale will consist otwo bond sales that amount to about $77 million combined.

In simple terms, New Britain added $77 million in debt to its balancesheet on Friday March 15th, bringing its debt up to about $274 mil-lion. However, New Britain was not in act upgraded rom an A toan A1. As you can see rom the chart, A is a rating used by S&P, notMoodys. Te A rating is Moodys equivalent o an A2.

o clariy, what has happened is a more signicant debt upgrade romMoodys than previously stated. Moodys last rating on New Britaindebt was in 2007 and it was an A3. Now, all o New Britains debt hasa rating o A1, including the debt the town had prior to Fridays debtauction.

Make no mistake, this does lower the long-term tax burden on New

Britain taxpayers or the citys outstanding debt. A tax cut can onlybe decided by the administration, and this debt upgrade may or maynot imply an immediate cut in taxes each citizen will pay. n

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FUN AND GAMES

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Easter Contest!Te Easter Bunny is almost upon us! Wewould love to make your holiday even sweet-er! Have your child draw an Easter pictureor write holiday story or memory to enterhis or her name in a drawing or a $100 gicerticate to Amatos oys and Hobby o NewBritain rom the Hardware City Journal!Contest open to children 12 or younger.

Mail: 202 Broad St. New Britain, C 06053

Email: [email protected]


7/16


SENIOR EVENTS

PROPERTY TAX RELIEFThe senior center is taking appointments for thehomeowners, additional veterans and freeze prop-

erty tax relief programs. Individuals 65 or older in

2011 or who received social security disability bene-

ts are eligible for a discount on their property taxes

if their total income was less than $32,300 for single

applicants or $39,500 for married couples. These

homeowners income limits include 2011 social se-

curity benets. Those who have received benets

under the old freeze program are eligible to maintain

their property tax relief if their income, excluding

social security, was less than $6,000. Those who

have been enrolled in either program in past years

have received a letter from the tax assessor if they

must reapply this year. Finally, if a married couple

wishes to apply, it is only necessary for one of the

spouses to have been over 65 to be eligible for the

program.

AARP SAFE DRIVERS COURSEThursday, March 22 8:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

An AARP Safe Drivers Course is offered. This is aone day course and interested persons can sign up at

the front desk starting March 2nd. The cost of the

course is $12.00 for AARP members and $14.00 for

non members. Please make check payable to AARP.

TRIPS PLANNEDA number of day trips are being planned by the Stan-

ley Seniors Group and senior center members are

welcome to join up. Listed below are some denite

trips as well as some future planned trips.

April 10th Mohegan Sun CasinoMay 8th Mohegan Sun Casino

April 26th Jersey Dreamers presents Last of

the Clean Comedians staring: Glen Anthony

Thursday, April 26th. Bus leaves 7:30 a.m. from

Stanley Tools parking lot and returns approximate-

ly 6:00 p.m. Trip includes Deluxe Motor Coach,

Lunch, Show and Dancing and all tips. Lunch

includes: Salad/Pasta/Roast Beef/Chicken Par-

migianino/Salmon/Potato and Vegetables/Special

Desert/Coffee & Tea-Soda Plus one complementary

drink. Cost $80.00 Per Person / $25.00 Deposit dueat sign up.

MOTHERS DAY BRUNCH AT THE DELANEY HOUSESave the Date: Monday, May 14th. Package in-

cludes Round Trip Motor Coach, Brunch Buffet,

Music Entertainment and Drivers gratuity. COST:

$66.00 Per Person.

For more information on any of these trips call Rich-

ard Macchietto at 860-223-9144

SPRING BUS TRIPMonsignor Bojnowski Manor & Advanced Home

Healthcare

We would like to plan a bus trip to Newport RI for

a day in April. The cost would be about $25.00 perperson and we would need 52 people in order to

go for this price. If you are interested or have any

questions, please contact Mary Carpenter at 860-

229-0336

COMPUTER CLASSES OFFEREDAll classes are free, however, class sizes are lim-

ited. Sign up at the front desk

FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTERS

Mondays, 9 - 11 a.m.Starting on March 19th

This course is intended for those persons who have

little or no knowledge of computers and would like

to start learning computer skills.

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERSTuesdays, 9 - 11 a.m.

Starting on March 20th

This course will cover basic computer skills such as

word processing, creating and saving documents, cre-

ating and organizing les as well as other pertinent top-ics. Program is intended for persons who have basic

computer skills and wish to expand their prociency.

INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNETThursdays, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Starting on April 12th

This course will discuss and practice: Using internet

Browsers; surng the internet; using Email along with

sending and receiving pictures; download and upload

documents & pictures; using useful websites and other

interesting topics.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHYFridays, 9 - 11 a.m.

Starting on March 23rd

This course will cover an introduction to digital

cameras and their features. Downloading pictures

to computers, basic editing w/Picasa, storage and

printing.

WII BOWLING LEAGUE

Lots of fun, excitement and enjoyment. The NewBritain Senior Centers Wii Bowling League will

commence the spring season on Tuesdays 12:30

p.m., March 20th and run for 14 weeks.

REBUILDING TOGETHEREvery year Rebuilding Together New Britain assists

low income New Britain homeowners with home

repairs that they are unable to take care of on their

own, due to physical and/or nancial limitations.

These repairs are done by community volunteers free

of charge for eligible, selected homeowners. Tasksrange from yard work and general cleaning, to paint-

ing, light carpentry, electrical and plumbing jobs,

as well as installation of grab bars and other simple

modications designed to allow seniors to age safelyin place.

If you would like to apply to be considered for as-

sistance, please contact our ofce today at 860-832-

4389. If you would like more information or have

any questions, please do not hesitate to call.

The ReCONNstruction Center makes Re-Use Charitable.

The ReCONNstruction Center230 South Street New Britain, CT860.597.3390 www.ReCONNstructionCenter.org

Looking for GREAT DEALS on

building materials?The ReCONNstruction Center is a non-prot GreenCharitable organization, working to save the environmentwhile offering used, surplus and antique building materialsat below market prices. You can nd great deals on kitchencabinets, vanities, counter tops, doors, sliders, windows,hardware, lighting and plumbing xtures, lumber, tile andmore! Treasure hunt for that antique or classic gem.

731 Newington Ave New Britain, CT

Senior SpecialsMonday: Coee with rells $1.00

uesday: 10% o egg breakasts

Wednesday:1 pancake or 1 rench toastwith small juice or coee

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Tursday:

Senior biscuit & gravywith small juice or coee

$2.50

Friday:

Cup o oatmeal withblueberries or strawberries

and small juice or coee$2.50

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8/16


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Cnn m pg 10

come to ruition and Im working hard toensure they will they will represent major

advancements or our city.In the past couple o weeks, weve seentwo new restaurants open downtown, and

just this week I cut the ribbon in celebrationo the expansion o HSB Aircra Compo-nents. Were seeing renewed energy or thearts and were securing unds to back upour communitys enthusiasm. In the lastthree months, New Britains arts and cul-ture programs have attracted approximately

$250,000 in new unds. Te arts should, andwill, play an integral role in building a morevibrant downtown.

But these accomplishments alone are notenough. Its not enough or us to just simplygrow the grand list. We cannot continue torepeat the same actions within the walls ocity hall and hope or a better result. Whenlooking or areas to save money, increase e-ciencies, and eliminate redundancies, we at

city hall must be willing to look in the mirror.I have been shocked by some o the spec-

tacular ineciencies and redundancies incertain operations o city hall. In some de-partments, we still have paper rather thanelectronic record keeping, which not onlywastes money and sta time, but makes di-culties in serving the public.

Multiple economic agencies are doing im-portant, but oen duplicated work, rom sepa-

rate silos. Tats why my rst Executive Ordercreated the Economic Development Adminis-tration, or EDA. Tis Executive Order begins tolay the groundwork to consolidate these silos,reducing redundancy, and better equipping usto coordinate, plan and implement the cityseconomic development strategy.

Our challenge as elected ocials duringtough times is addressing what needs to bexed now, while simultaneously ocusing on

the long term needs which will benet NewBritain into the uture. O course, as we lookorward to building a brighter uture or ourcity, the thing that is and must be ront-and-center is education.

Quality education is at the core o a suc-cessul uture economy or our city. For utureworkers, it means having skills to do the jobsthat pay enough to li amilies into the middleclass. For our city, it means having a workorce

that makes our community an attractive placeto locate or expand a business and create jobs.

Quality education is a moral imperative- the moral question o whether the kidsgrowing up in our city deserve the same shot

in lie as youngsters growing up in more a-uent communities.Certainly, one o the challenges we have

in our city is that politicians rom afuentcommunities typically do not ask their moreafuent constituents to meet the moral im-perative to do right by children in New Brit-ain and other communities like ours. It isheartbreaking to see wealthier communitiesable to provide or their school budgets more

than we, in New Britain, have the income toprovide or children here.But, this, and other challenges we ace,

should not be treated as reasons why wecannot do all we can to provide a quality anddecent education or our citys kids. Excusesdo not increase the quality o education. Andchildren do not benet when adults discus-sion in our city around education ocus onnding ault with other members o our own

community. Some may blame teachers, othersmay blame parents, others may blame ad-ministrators, and some even blame the kids.

But none o the blame helps the kids.We must stop looking or someone to

blame, and stop making excuses, and startthinking about how we are going to movethings orward - how we are going to do ev-erything we can, with the resources we have,to ensure a bright uture or the children - our

uture generations.Tat, most certainly, means that educa-

tion must be treated as a higher priority inour own city budget than it has been. And,likewise, this means that our city government,you and I, must not consider education tobe outside o our responsibility. We musttreat the quality o our schools as one o ourtopmost priorities. Te people o our cityexpect that all o our citys elected ocials

will share in that responsibility.And, while we increase the priority o

education in the city budget, we must also acton the reality that the quality o learning is asmuch aected by the experiences o childrenoutside o the schools as in. Tat is why I amworking with our citys legislative delegationon new state-local joint policies designed towork in the community to improve lives andlearning experiences or young people by

helping to strengthen neighborhoods, ami-lies and individuals. Improving the quality

o lie in our community, and or amilies,improves the quality o education, and itis something my administration is already

working to achieve.Te bottom line is that, or the good o ourcitys kids, we have to sweep away partisan-ship and bureaucratic silos, and act, together,the adults o our community, or the good othe precious young ones who are our uture.And we cannot use the nancial conditiono the city as an excuse or inaction.

Despite the nancial challenges we acedwhen assuming oce, we have already been

able to tackle and address major quality olie issues such as moving orward with theprocess o putting additional police ocerson the streets and nding the money to makethat possible, and revamping our blight codes.

For too long, owners o slum housing andother irresponsible absentee property own-ers have brought down the quality o lie inwhole neighborhoods with their neglect andbad management. Teir actions and inac-

tions - have harmed everyone, hurting peopleo meager means who live in slum housing,hurting the neighborhoods, hurting the busi-ness community, and hurting our tax base.

My anti-blight proposal, which passedthe Common Council, represents a com-prehensive eort to hold the most abusiveowners o blighted properties accountable,while allowing the City to levy large nesagainst the most severe blighted buildings.

Te new tools in our anti-blight codes allowus to take strong actions against negligentabsentee property owners, including andup to taking possession o the most severeblighted properties. And we are already see-ing the benets o our new anti-blight law.

We all understand it takes more than astrong ordinance to ght blight it takespolitical will enorcement, and it takespersistence. I reuse to back down rom this

ght. Tere is too much at stake.My riends, our collective eorts thus ar,

have already produced positive results and Ithank the Common Council or their eortsand their collaboration.

onight, I say to you, the State o theCity o New Britain is one o renewal andthrough continued collaboration and per-severance; we will make the uture o NewBritain brighter or everyone.

God Bless you, God Bless the City o NewBritain!n


12/16


HUMOR

Letters from the PublicBy Mike Ostroski

Staff Writer

Dear Mr. Ostroski,

I've been reading your column or awhile.You use words that are so simple my fve

year old can read it. Do you have a touch ofbrain damage? Why is there also the sametheme regarding your excessive liestyle?

Just curious,

Jon Ronson

Jon, I believe in writing my column that is asnear as possible to my own "conversational

voice." Te libraries are ull o books collect-ing dust and rotting reader's brains with "dullprose." Oen very little is said in three orour hundred pages. Te only two writers Irecommend wholeheartedly to my readers areCharles Bukowski and Hunter S., Tompson.I believe these are the two greatest writers othe last hundred years. Yes, I probably do havea touch o brain damage. Your parents mostlikely have or had a touch o brain damage by

naming you Jon Ronson.

Dear Mr. Ostroski,

My boyfriend and I are avid readers of yourcolumn. He is in rehab or twenty-seventhtime but I also make sure to send him yourcolumn. I was wondering if I could visit youbefore my boyfriend is released. Enclosed isa picture o mysel.

Sincerely,

Amber Smith

Amber, I don't think this is a very good ideaunless you are looking or a beating rommy girlriend. I am already sporting a blackeye and three broken ribs aer my girlriendound your photograph under the mattress.

Hey Mikey,

I bet I could drink you under the table. Youain't nothin! And I can write better than

you too. Why doesn't your paper stop send-ing me rejections and realize I'm a genius.You ain't nothin!

See you in Hell,

Jack Myers

Well Jack, I write my column in two minutesfat. I'm ree to write whatever I want withoutusing curse words or images unsuitable or aamily newspaper. You should see what myeditor has to cut out. Let's just say I'm using

a combination o the styles o Bukowski andTompson. I'd rather my readers discoverthese two geniuses and read their works in-stead o my column which I never take tooseriously. As or your own aspirations as a

journalist or a writer you just don't cut it. Youare just a bad writer. You'll never make it. Iwrite because I have an insatiable need and anuncontrollable urge. An insanity, i you will,which compels me to write. Yes I am excessive

and yes, I tend to repeat mysel but I instillhumor into those excesses. I am not lookingor ame or ortune. I just write. It's really asickness but a healthy sickness. Anyone whowrites or ame and ortune are sucksh inmy opinion. So nd another sucksh to drinkunder the table Jack.

So dear readers, this is just a sample o themail I receive. I also write poetry, short stories

and Iv'e even written a screenplay. I'm orty-six years old and I think I'll send my morepolished pieces to a publisher when I hit thehal century mark. Many many moons age aChinese poet named Li Po used to burn hispoems and get drunk on wine until he reachedthe hal century mark. Ten he was ready. He'sthe king my riends, the real article. So I'dadvise you to go to your local library and readanything by Li Po, Bukowski and Tompson.

Tis is my gi to you.

Stay Loose,

Mike Ostroski

STAFF MEMO:Mr. Ostroski stopped by our oce to drop ohis column and stated, "Tis article took me

our minutes to write. Now I have to take along nap." He then asked us or a pillow and anunopened can o Spam. Mr. Ostroski snores.Snores is actually an understatement. When asta member attempted to roll him over romhis back to his side he awoke with a piercingscream and wanted to know" what we wereup to?" He then proceeded to throw a buncho dollar bills at us on his way out the door.n

Tom OFeral

om OFeral falls back to earth hoping the

unemployment rate does the same.


13/16


14/16


HOROSCOPES BY OZZY

Aries (March 21- April 19): You couldcome up with a brilliant solution orake your way through a slippery situationthis week. Act outside the box.

Taurus (April 20- May 20): Make surethat messages havent been misunder-stood beore changing a relationship. It maytake time to gure out what is the best solu-tion.

Gemini (May 21- June 21) : Te blind-old will be pulled rom your eyes andyou will see exactly where you stand. Let yourguard down to let the light in.

Cancer (June 22- July 22): You couldnd yoursel lashing out at people oracing an unexpected crisis this week. Remem-ber to keep your eet on the ground.

Leo (July 23 -August 22): What yousee or hear may not be what you get,but digging deeper could reveal a nugget ogold. Rely on your intuition to nd the answer.

Virgo (August 23- September 22): Acaring person opens you eyes to op-portunities or travel, education or nding ahigher purpose. Listen closely to what theyare saying.

Libra (September 23- October 22): Beready to think ast and act quickly thisweek. Stop talking, get busy and put yourbold ideas into action. Everything will allinto place.

Scorpio (October 23- November21): It is better to invest in one bigobject,special event, or important relation-ship than to spread yoursel too thin this week.ake one thing at a time.

Sagittarius(November 22- December21): A relative or riend may surpriseyou this week. Make sure you are preparedor good or bad news. It will all make sensein a ew days.

Capricorn (December 22- January19): Tis is a good week to visit thedoctor or a check up. Make sure you eat awell balanced diet and get plenty o exercise.Tink positive.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18):

You have heard the saying beore, Ev-erything happens or a reason Tis is whatyou need to tell yoursel over and over.

Pisces (February 19- March 20): I youhave a growing sense o uncertainty aboutsomeone, its best to talk about itopenly. You could be ready to makea big change.

FUNERAL PLANNING

By Paul Shaker

Dealing with the loss o a loved one is neveran easy task. It is my intent to convey someprocedures which may help you during thisunortunate time.

Beore such an event does occur many indi-viduals have made pre-arrangements. Pre-planning ones uneral can control costs andlessen the nancial burden the amily mayace. Pre-nanced unerals and irrevocabletrusts may be placed in an interest bearingescrow account.

Pre-arrangement most oen guarantees the

price o the uneral is paid in ull. It also gives

the amily the ability to individualize the de-tails o the service including a courtesy memo-rial video tribute (slide show presentations),pictures, music, pallbearers, casket, vault,church, cemetery and reception. Speciyingthese details beorehand alleviates this respon-

sibility rom the grieving amily.

When death does occur the amily shouldcontact a uneral home to schedule an ap-pointment. Tese may be held in the luxuryo your home or at the uneral home. I deathoccurs suddenly, emergency services, policeand medical providers should be contactedimmediately. I it should happen while ata hospital or nursing home, the admitting

department, medical records or nursing su-

pervisor should be notied or uneral homeauthorization and release. When occurring ata convalescent home or Hospice the nursingdirector or supervisor should be notied toalert the uneral home. I a death occurs out-side the immediately area the uneral home

should be contacted directly and i it occursat home the nurse, Hospice and police shouldbe contacted by a call to the uneral home.

Next week: Planning a service with or withoutcremation.

Paul Shaker-Farmingdale Funeral Home-764Farmington Av-New Britain, C-860-229-9006 n

grams which is unded by the U.S. Departmento Education. Services are ree with CCSUstudents providing tutorial services, careerexploration, academic and/or personal advis-ing and mentoring programs. Assistance is alsoprovided to get through the maze o college

applications, nancial aid applications andentrance exams.

utoring in math, English and science is pro-vided by CCSU students. Students in the pro-gram are also instructed in computer literacy,customer service, problem solving/decisionmaking, interpersonal/communication skills,personal qualities, job seeking skills and nan-

cial literacy.

o apply one must complete an application anda needs assessment which may be obtainedthrough a school guidance counselor.One mayalso call the ES oce at CCSU at 860-832-2225 or send an email to Dr. Joseph Paige [email protected] n

Cnn m pg 1


15/16


Take Out Sales Blitz of the Week:

860-224-3772

Medium Coffee & Muffin$1.50

Burgers for a Buck!

16oz travel mug of coffee $5.99Unlimited Refills 75 ea.

Dontfor

get

thebe

st

Pancakesin

Town!

FarmingdaleMomument CompanyMonuments - Markers - Cemetery Lettering

Monument Cleaning - Pet Memorials

764 Farmington Ave, New Britain, CT

860-224-2417

Meetings

MONDAY-MARCH 19, 2012Piano & Voice Room 210 4:00-6:00

Financial Task Force Comm. Room 201 3:00-6:00

TUESDAY- MARCH 20, 2012Piano & Voice Room 210 4:00-6:30

Board of Finance Room 201 5:30Comm. on HRO Room 305 6:00N.B. Parking Comm. Room 202 6:30

WEDNESDAY- MARCH 21, 2012Parking Ticket Appeals Room 305 4:00-6:00Financial Task Force Comm. Room 201 4:30Piano & Voice Room 210 4:00-6:30

Map Review Comm. Chambers 7:00

THURSDAY- MARCH 22, 2012

Piano & Voice Room 210 4:00-6:30Board of Finance Room 305 5:30Board of Fire Comm. Room 201 6:30

FRIDAY- MARCH 23, 2012No Meetings Scheduled

YOUVE EARNED IT.

WE CAN HELP YOU

PROTECT IT.At Allstate, we know youve worked hard to get to where you are. Thats why we

want to help you protect whats important to you. We offer a variety of insurance

products you can choose from to help meet your needs.

Auto insurance

Life insurance

Renters insurance Identity restoration coverage

Personal umbrella policy

Motorcycle insurance

Boat insurance Business insurance

Insurance subject to terms, availability and qualifications. Discounts subject to availability and qualifications. Availability from companies shown varies by state. Qualifications mayapply. Ask for details.

Allstate Life Insurance Company: Northbrook, IL, and Lincoln Benefit Life Company: Lincoln, NE. In New York, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York: Hauppauge, NY. Securitiesoffered by Personal Financial Representatives through Allstate Financial Services, LLC LSA Securities in LA and PA. Registered Broker-Dealer. Member NASD, SIPC. Main Office: 2920South 84th Street, Lincoln, NE 68506. (8067) 525-5727.

Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Indemnity Company, Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company, and Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company: Northbrook, IL.Allstate Country Mutual Insurance Company: Irving, TX. Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company: Bridgewater, NJ.

2007 Allstate Insurance Company. allstate.com 06/07

Proud sponsor of our local youth athletics

(860) 829 0319

DENISE PAQUETTE1463 BERLIN [email protected] Mowie Po Polsku


16/16


t

Make it O TOOLS for St Pattys Daywe are!

Music by The Boys of Wexford $4 Guinness Drafts

Green Beer St Patricks Day Shots Special Irish Menu

136 Main St, Downtown New Britain, CT860-565-7226 - wwwtoolsbarandgrillcom

Stop in for

TOOL Time Happy HourMonday thru Friday 4pm to 6pm

$1 off drinks, and weekly specials

Live Jazzon the weekends from 9pm till midnight!!!!Check our website for additional shows.

Hardware City Journal - Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 16, 2012

Documents

Transcript of Hardware City Journal - Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 16, 2012